Fake mountains to make rain? It’s last-gasp geoengineering

That a desert nation such as the United Arab Emirates should even think about building a mountain to make it rain is a sign of desperate times, says Jamais Cascio

Moving mountain to make rain in Dubai, perhaps

olaser/Getty

Towering nearly 830 metres up, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – part of the United Arab Emirates – is a marvel of engineering, and the world’s tallest building, for now.

It may soon pale in comparison to a new megastructure in the desert nation – the UAE, with the help of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, is considering building a mountain to increase rainfall. The study is only beginning, but the researchers expect to have the first modelling results – showing necessary height and slope – this summer.

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